Kitarou and his ghost family exist in the space between two worlds that will never fully accept them, and the show treats that loneliness as the real horror. Every episode is a small negotiation: can humans and ghosts understand each other, or will fear and selfishness always win. The 1985 version moves slow enough to let you sit with that question, to watch Kitarou try again and fail, try again and maybe succeed, knowing the answer changes nothing about what comes next.

As civilization advances, people lose their care and kindness toward nature, and the ghosts grow angry at human selfishness. The ghosts themselves are divided: at one extreme some stand wholly against humans, while at the other some hope the two can live side by side. Kitaro and his family belong to the second group and long for mutual understanding between humans and ghosts. The long-running supernatural comedy follows Kitaro as he keeps fighting for love and hope.